Post your story ... how did you get into golf ??

[inthehole]

Figured it would be interesting to hear how everybody got into golf, and how old you were when you started playing.      My dad never golfed (we spent all our weekends & after school time together bass fishing and I got into serious tournament fishing for many years after).     Was always told you couldn't seriously fish and play golf ... there's truth to this, but more on that later.

As for me - I'm 47 and  was guilted into playing a company golf outing (didn't even want to go - was pretty much pressured into it)  last year about this time & thats all it took -  got the bug BAD !!   Since last September, I joined a club, conservatively estimate I've played 70-80 times to the present (I"m playing at least 4x a week - about as much as humanly possible and still hold down a job), with alot of range sessions mixed in.     Spent alot of time reading books & magazines, watching the golf channel, and online resources like this forum have helped me learn the fundamentals of the game.     I've come a long ways in 1 year (I ususally shoot much better through 9 holes than the approximated handicap I've listed).

For the last 35 years or so, I've fished most every weekend and a night or two during the week ... this year I've fished twice. Golf has taken over.     I just figured I have 35 years of catching up to do & like everything I do, I want to do it well and not just do it half assed.      Anyways, thats my story, and I'm very thankful I went to that outing last fall that I didn't want to go to ... just wished I started playing earlier in life, but am very glad I started before retirement.        I do think my dad was right about not being able to golf and fish (my wife says I have a clinical case of golf OCD) - I'm hoping for more balance next year, but imagine my golfing will still outweigh my fishing ...

Lets have your story ...

[jclifton]

Interesting story, inthehole.

My dad played golf but pretty much had quit by the time I got old enough to play. I did take advantage of his clubs though, and started hitting balls in my grandad's cow pasture. My little cousin joined in and we would play during the summer days.

We played at courses as soon as we were able to drive and pretty much taught ourselves. I played until the 3-D Archery tournament bug bit me. I did that for about 13 years. I agree, it is hard to do two serious hobbies at one time. Layed down the bow when my little girl was born, almost 6 years ago.

Last year me and my wife took an anniversary trip to a spa and golf resort. They had a package that included a round of golf, so I took the clubs and played a round solo. Didn't want to embarrass myself with being paired up!

Well, I played a lot better than I thought I would have. The addiction started right then.

I called a buddy up when I got home, who is an avid golfer, and we have been playing at least once a week since.

I am 43 years old, still live on our family farm, and still hit shag balls in that same cow pasture where it all started. The fence is down now, and I have it well mowed. No cows or cow patties to maneuver!

[ghalfaire]

Not much of a story in my case.  I was about 35 or so and used to ride dirt bikes (motorcycles for some) through the deserts around here with a bunch of like minded fellows. One day I called my partner and he was going to play golf at a local 9 hole course and invited me.  I went and go hooked but really never played seriously until I retired a few years ago. Mostly just company sponsored tournaments over the years  as I had to travel a lot in my job, had a young family and just couldn't manage the time to get serious.  But I promised myself when the kids were grown and I was retired I'd make an effort to get better and I have and don't think I'm as good as I can be yet.

[sssam]

My grandfather was a very good golfer (played off four) and my father (grandad's son-in-law) took it up I suppose mostly to appease him. Anyhow, I had cut-down clubs in my hand probably from about age six, and started playing properly at about 12. I played regularly through to about 17, then essentially stopped once I went to uni. Mountain bikes took over and that has been my primary passion for the past 20 years. A few months ago I had a round with some friends and enjoyed it a lot, so thought I ought to start playing more regularly. It's a nice escape from bikes (I still ride a lot and my business is bikes (www.singularcycles.com if you've any interest) so it's great to get a few hours which are entirely non bike related. I'm slowly getting back into it, scores and handicap are coming down, though I know I can play a lot better. The struggle at the moment is to stop it taking over my life entirely....

[Roblar]

I started two years ago -- totally turned my life around.

I blew out my ankle playing soccer about three and a half years ago (I still have trouble walking sometimes -- can't run/jog at all without getting a nearly instant ankle-sprain), and I basically spent a year and a half in a deep funk.  I had always been pretty active, but all I ever wanted to do was go surfing and play soccer. I live in Oklahoma now, so the surfing isn't happening, and if you can't run, you can't play soccer.

I felt like my only outlets for fun had been taken away from me.  Not much joy in life, and I needed some sort of exercise. I hate exercise for exercise's sake, so I wasn't going to join a gym and lift weights.

I kept asking people I knew for suggestions, and didn't get many answers I liked. I was going nuts and started using an axe to chop up trees in the backyard just to vent frustration.  Eventually, my neighbor, who's close to 60, asked me to play a round of golf. (He was probably tired of the noise I was making in the backyard!) I turned him down three times at first -- 'golf' had the same tone as 'getting old' or 'retired', and I didn't want to go there.

On the third invite, I borrowed his son's clubs and went to a par-3 9-hole course nearby.  Early on, I managed to hit a shot fairly pure, and that was about it. I was hooked.  I loved the technical challenge of hitting the ball well, trying to control the ball flight, and constantly trying to improve.

Still hooked.  I only get to play about 3-4 times a month, and I make it to the range about once a week (sometimes more).  The local muni is very friendly (people-wise) and forgiving (course-wise), and I've gotten to the point where I feel like I play well enough that I don't have to be embarrassed about my game.

Best of all, it's a game I can play with only half an ankle -- and I walk over 5 miles when I play 18 (green-to-tee gaps and zig-zag shots increase the distance) --- and that actually counts as exercise in my book!

[GJBenn85]

I developed an interest in golf when I was 12 after my dad took me to a golf range a few times.  While I showed an interest, I was never really given the opportunity to do anything beyond the occasional range outing.  Fast forward to 2010, my sisters' boyfriends each golf (one much more frequently than the other) and so I decided to finally take up the game.  Officially started playing in February 2011 when I played my first 18 holes (think I "scored" around 116, but I had a habit of not taking penalties so it was probably really more like 130).  I too have a clinical case of golf OCD...it's basically all I can think about and I find myself scheduling my life (and clients) around being able to go to the range or actually play a round late in the day.

I have not golfed or hit the range in over a week and I am starting to get a little edgy because of it.  My goal is to break 90 before year end.

[gfd66]

For me, about 20+ years ago, it was just an excuse to get out drinking with my buddies and away from my parents house. I would steal my Dad's old 1950's clubs and we would all head out to a course that had beer carts and a really good 19th. Somehow it turned into an obsession.......... without the drinking....... Now my 8yo daughter has taken an interest due to the Golf channel always being on (she thinks Paula Creamer is the greatest ever because she always wears pink) and my constant chipping practice in the yard. I bought her her own set of clubs and we goto the range at least once a week. She loves it and she's a sponge for knowledge, signed her up last year for the First Tee program and she had a ball. Hopefully she won't take on any of my bad habits. :)

[Stewie007]

I originally got into golf with my father some 15 years ago or so. Played pretty consistently for about 5 years and got to be pretty good. We mostly played the county course where I grew up. It was a pretty decent course for Western NY getting near the country side. Was just a small cliquish town. After we moved away I pretty much stopped playing. When we moved down to NC I was all but done. Bought some new clubs to try to get back into the game, but it didn't really do much for me. That was about 7 years ago.

Before anyone rolls their eyes at cliche, it isn't how it seems. I had cancer and went through Chemotherapy this year. When it was finally all over and we were visiting the in laws, something just hit me. We were sitting in a Tavern and I looked up to see what was on the TV. Naturally, it was golf, and I got this strange need to go play golf. I became obsessed and have been playing every weekend with multiple trips to the range each week. The doc told me it'd be good to help me get my energy and endurance back without going overboard. I can't really explain the obsession. It wasn't some cliche inspirational story or some claim that Cancer taught me to cling to life or something cheesy like that. I just wanted to play golf. It was a cold cut and clear desire, rather than an guided decision.

Most strange........

[saevel25]

i have been playing golf since i was about 12-13 years old. When my dad would take me and my brother out to play golf at some of the easier golf courses. Then it just hooked, and i really got into it when i was going for my highschool golf team. But what i really loved was playing golf in Myrtle Beach. That enjoyment for the game, knowing i could be good at something, it was a really good thing for me.

[awmgolfer]

I don't remember if my Grandfather asked me or if he just took me out but he had a nine iron cut down for me and that is all I used when I went out with him. He just gave me some basic pointers and taught me etiquette. I was about 8 years old at the time and a few years later he passed away and I was given his Ram irons. I played through high school on the golf team, was okay at it but not really serious about it, just had a good time a couple of months a year. I would shoot in the upper 90's. I stopped playing in college due to money and time and maybe played a round or two over the span of about 8 years.

I took a teaching job in a small public school and became friends with the athletic director who found out I enjoyed playing golf, still really hadn't played much at the time. The golf coach position became open 4 years ago and he asked if I wanted to take it as no one else applied so I jumped at it. I have been a golf addict since. My handicap the first year playing was in the mid 20's so my goal was to be able to beat our best players so that I could give them some competition, plus I didn't know much about the golf swing so as I became better I would obviously learn more. I am now an 8.6 and actually know what I'm doing which feels good..lol. Even got my wife into it so I can still go out and play a lot and just bring her with me..lol.

[kevin.chan]

Started when my boss threw me an old set and ask me to pick up the game .

Love the game  !

[imtomtomim]

Started when I was 21 (24 now), and after a wild Sat night at college, one of my buddies barges through the door at 6:00 am, chucks an old set into the middle of my room, pours us 2 rounds of shots and says we're playing golf right now with the diving coach.  It was an amazing autumn day with all the leaves at peak color and the sun was just rising over our tiny 9 hole school course.  I was smitten.  That was it right there, golfoholic for life.

[robinoso]

First time I played golf I was 21 and I bought a set of clubs at WalMart for $80 after getting talked into playing.  I hated it.  I was athletic and felt I had good hand eye coordination only to find out that golf was a different beast.  My buddies were all good, some had scholarships to play others were just really good who could play all the time as their parents were memebrs.  So, I was the worst thing they'd ever seen without a doubt.  So I played a couple of times only to top it, whiff it to wanting to drown myself in ponds near the par 3's.  I quit and never thought twice.

Fast forward 12 years.  One of the same guys invites me to play Aug of last year.  I of course fire off with an immediate jump off a bridge.  After an hour of phone calls from the other 3 begging me (must have been desperate for a 4th!) I give in to the pain.  I borrow a set from a guy.  On the range, his driver head comes off.  His 5w head flies off and a few holes into it.  We get to 1 tee box and there are 2 groups behind me for a nice gallery.  Whiff.  Whiff. Whiff.  Slice into trees.  Blood was already boiling, but I was going to finish.  Somehow, not sure what started happening, but I started getting some balls in the air.  Had a grace of God par and ended up shooting a 108 and believe it or not had a great time.

Since then, there is no doubt I'm hooked.  I've broke 90 a handful of times and wonder what I could have done if I'd stuck with it when I was younger with next to zero responsiblity and all the time in the world.

[lumpuckeroo]

I don't have much of story either.  I played some in High School, mostly just to get out of the house and have something to do.  I started playing tennis in college as there were a lot of people that you could find to play and it wasn't as time consuming.  When I started work, several of the guys played and talked me into going with them.  From there is was just something the guys from work did on the weekend.  I no longer work at that company and rarely see the guys that use to work there, but I still play.

[Made 2 Taylor]

My dad bought me a set of clubs at a garage sale when I was 5, cut them down and every night we would go hit balls. He bought me a membership at a little 9 hole course when I was about 12 and we would go play every day in the summer. When I was 16 he bought me a membership at a very nice, hard 18 hole course and would play at least 5 times a week there together.  We both share a HUGE love for the game. We have watched all 4 days of all 4 majors together for the past 5 years or so on TV. He gets mad if I blow my money on dumb stuff, but if I say I am blowing it on a new club or something to enhance my game, he'll be happy as hell haha I am 22 now and still golf with him 95% of the time. Let's just say shopping for eachother at Christmas and on birthday's is very easy.

[Grumpter]

When I was 4.5 years old my family moved to a house right next to a 9 hole course. It must have been around 6 or 7 when I started smacking around a plastic ball with a plastic set of clubs. By 12 or 13 I had membership to the 9 hole course and played 2 or 3 days a week during the summers.

[School Yard Pro]

36 and entering my Carlsberg years but still fairly active.  I run about 4km every other day, play baseball in the summer and snowboard in the winter. Earlier this summer I hit the links with few buddies and was hooked.  The challenge of learning a new sport has been in toxicating.  Using elements from my background in Rugby, Hockey and Baseball, building a consistent swing hasn't been much of a problem (fortunately).  Living on the west coast (Vancouver) and being able to play year round helps a lot as well.

[RPMPIRE]

I was 20 going to college. I had some extra time between classes and a friend of mine talked me into taking a golf class. The first few classes were just to know about golf but when we actually got to swing the clubs, I got hooked. I loved how technical it was and how much "perfection" was needed to simply just hit a ball. The strive for improvement to hit the golf ball pure was addicting. At first it was hard to get into golf because I was part of a paintball team (very expensive sport) and I thought golf would just be just sort of a once-in-a-while type of hobby because I was on a limited budget. Soon after I graduated, my paintball team separated and I decided to put paintball down all together and take up golf as my only hobby. Never looked back...